Switch rods are usually between 10'6" and 11'6" (a few are 11' 9"). They evolved from 10'6" and 11' single-hand rods for 7,8, and 9 wt single-hand lines. Those single-hand rods the switch rods evolved from had short 2" maybe 2.5" fighting butts fixed to the rod. Some folks decided that since they were pretty long, they should spey cast with them. Hence the name "Switch Rod" was born because they were easier to spey cast with than a 9' rod and could be conventionally overhead cast without trouble with one hand.

The next evolution was folks started to buy blanks for the 11' rods and put a true bottom spey grip on the rod when they built it and fished them as a short 2-handed rod that was suitable for both overhead and spey casting, provided one used a longer-belly single-hand line like the salmon/steelhead taper.

Then Bob Meiser designed 10'6" (his11'er came later) switch rods that were designed to use short-belly and Scandi spey lines for use in casting off the beach or stripers, coho, or steelhead in the salt, and for fishing smaller rivers and big creeks that held winter steelhead. Unfortunately, this has caused some folks to confuse things and consider switch rods to be the equal of spey rods, which they are not.

And to confuse things even more, today there are switch rods on the market designed to cast short-belly and Scandi (short Skagit lines too) lines, and other that are still designed to cast single-hand lines. Rods like the G.Loomis GLX 11'6" switch rod is designed to cast single-hand lines, the T&T 11' 7wt switch rod is also designed to cast a 7 wt single-hand line. While the Meier, TFO Deer Creek, and Sage switch rods (that is the current Sage 11' rods, not the old Sage 11' 6/7 and 8/9 rods from 10 years ago, which were designed to cast single-hand lines) are designed to cast short belly, Scandi, and short Skagit lines.

Hope this helps you to understand both were the term "switch rod" came from and a bit of is development history.

Switch rods are usually between 10'6" and 11'6" (a few are 11' 9"). They evolved from 10'6" and 11' single-hand rods for 7,8, and 9 wt single-hand lines. Those single-hand rods the switch rods evolved from had short 2" maybe 2.5" fighting butts fixed to the rod. Some folks decided that since they were pretty long, they should spey cast with them. Hence the name "Switch Rod" was born because they were easier to spey cast with than a 9' rod and could be conventionally overhead cast without trouble with one hand.

The next evolution was folks started to buy blanks for the 11' rods and put a true bottom spey grip on the rod when they built it and fished them as a short 2-handed rod that was suitable for both overhead and spey casting, provided one used a longer-belly single-hand line like the salmon/steelhead taper.

Then Bob Meiser designed 10'6" (his11'er came later) switch rods that were designed to use short-belly and Scandi spey lines for use in casting off the beach or stripers, coho, or steelhead in the salt, and for fishing smaller rivers and big creeks that held winter steelhead. Unfortunately, this has caused some folks to confuse things and consider switch rods to be the equal of spey rods, which they are not.

And to confuse things even more, today there are switch rods on the market designed to cast short-belly and Scandi (short Skagit lines too) lines, and other that are still designed to cast single-hand lines. Rods like the G.Loomis GLX 11'6" switch rod is designed to cast single-hand lines, the T&T 11' 7wt switch rod is also designed to cast a 7 wt single-hand line. While the Meier, TFO Deer Creek, and Sage switch rods (that is the current Sage 11' rods, not the old Sage 11' 6/7 and 8/9 rods from 10 years ago, which were designed to cast single-hand lines) are designed to cast short belly, Scandi, and short Skagit lines.

Hope this helps you to understand both were the term "switch rod" came from and a bit of is development history.